7/23/2010 - Humbolt Squid

We're told that humbolt squid are found off of Santa Rosalia and Guaymas in large schools.  We were also told that there aren't that many this year.  Before we left San Diego there were several reports of them washing up on the beach around La Jolla.

Imagine our surprise last night as we're anchored off of Isal San Marcos playing with Jake (well, I was napping) on the front of the boat when we saw tons of small bait fish making waves near the shoreline.  Andy got out the binoculars and started hyperventilating...."squid! squid! squid!"  He's been dying to catch a squid ever since he heard they were here.  He grabs his spear, rushes back to the dinghy and takes off.  It turns out he didn't need his spear much... they were literally beaching themselves!  There were hundreds of them jumping out of the water.  He looked like a mad man running around grabbing them with his hands, spearing them when necessary.  It was the craziest thing I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to get my camera until he was already on his way back.  He had a grin from ear to ear and a dinghy FULL of squid ink.  

He ended up with eight of them.  We shared them with the other boats in the anchorage, put a few in the freezer and set some our for lunch/dinner today.  It was also an impromptu science lesson for Jake... dissection of a humbolt squid.  As After much discussion about where the ink sack was, Jake asked him "Why don't they have bones?"  Andy told him he would have to ask the big man that question, he didn't know.  Jake asked, "Who's the big man?"  "God" said Andy.  "Oh, well, I really want to know that so I'm going to ask him."  Knock yourself out.  Of all life's little questions, this one's got Jake all wrapped up.


This morning Andy saw the squid again a little further out from shore and we all got in the dinghy to take a look.  By the time we got there (put shorts on the kid, lifejacket, hat, etc) they were gone.  But we did get to see a manta ray swimming on the surface.  It just swam around in circles as we followed it in the dinghy.  


It looks like our time back at anchorage is working out for us so far!